Business & Management Studies

Abstract

Technological catch-up is becoming the most important and strategic decisions for latecomer firms to strengthen technological capability and enlarge market position. Set strategic alliance as research perspective, we study the mechanism how patent strategy selections of latecomer firms help realize catch-up effects via alliance cooperation. Results show that in the latecomer context, the goals or intentions for firms to participate in strategic alliances may vary greatly because of differences in technological capability or market positions, which then influence their patent strategy selection. Generally, the latecomer firms’ patent strategies present typical regularity. Firms with lower technological capability or weaker market position tend to choose patent defensive strategy and patent leveraging strategy, and the strategic mix would help advance their strategic goals in technological catch-up.